Various displays, large and small, are mounted on a vehicle for displaying various content such as a navigation screen and a soft key. A recent increase in the display size allows a plurality of contents to be displayed on one display at the same time.
However, a part of a display the driver finds it easy to view is not so large, meaning that it is difficult to display all contents in an easy-to-view part of a large display. For example, when operating a soft key displayed by the vehicle, the driver must operate the soft key while viewing it, unlike when operating a physical key. As the display becomes larger and, as a result, the distance to a soft key becomes larger, the soft key is not always displayed in an easy-to-view position.
Conventionally, a technology is known that makes easy a touch panel input operation (for example, see Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-129689). Patent Literature 1 discloses an input device that includes an armrest switch for detecting a user's hand; and input acceptance button display means for displaying, near the armrest switch, input acceptance buttons that are displayed on the display device when the armrest switch detects the user's hand.
FIGS. 24 and 25 are screen transition diagrams included in Patent Literature 1. When the driver presses an armrest switch, a display control unit displays input acceptance buttons 431 at the bottom of a display screen 400. Because a soft key is displayed near the driver's hand, the driver can press the soft key with the armrest switch as the fulcrum.
However, the problem with the input device described in Patent Literature 1 is that the displayed soft key is displayed in a predetermined manner. That is, the input device described in Patent Literature 1 displays, near the armrest switch, only the soft key that is displayed when the armrest switch is pressed but does not always display, near the armrest switch, the switch the driver wants to operate. As the display becomes larger, a plurality of contents are displayed on one display, sometimes with a plurality of soft keys included in the contents. In this case, it is preferable that the soft key the user preferentially wants to operate be displayed selectively in an easy-to-operate position. When a plurality of soft keys is displayed in the contents on the input device described in Patent Literature 1, all soft keys are reduced in size and are displayed near the armrest switch, in which case the driver is sometimes confused about which soft key is to be pressed.
Another problem is that the position near to the armrest switch is not always an easy-to-view position. In the case of a soft key, it is difficult to determine by touch which key is an intended key. One possible solution to this problem is to arrange the position of the armrest switch in the vehicle interior so that a soft key is displayed in an easy-to-view position. In this case, however, another problem arises that the operation method for operating a soft key with the physical switch pressed does not always increase, but sometimes decreases, operability. That is, because the driver's body type varies from person to person, operating a soft key with a physical switch pressed results in a situation in which the soft key is not always displayed in a position where the driver finds it easy to operate or in a situation in which the driver finds it difficult to press the soft key.
In the meanwhile, a soft key need not always be displayed in a position where the driver finds it easy to view. This is because, when the driver does not operate a soft key, the content to be frequently viewed by the driver during driving, such as the navigation screen or the information about the indoor temperature, setting temperature, air volume, and sound volume, should be displayed in an easy-to-view position.
FIGS. 26 and 27 are examples of diagrams for showing that the optimum layout of content depends on the situation. In FIG. 26, the air volume of the air conditioner, the navigation screen, and the soft key are displayed in this order from top to bottom. This layout makes the driver feel easy to view the air volume of the air conditioner and the navigation screen during traveling but decreases the soft key operability. In FIG. 27, the air volume of the air conditioner, the soft key, and the navigation screen are displayed in this order from top to bottom. This layout allows the driver to confirm the soft key before operation but increases the line of sight movement amount for viewing the navigation screen.
As the display becomes large enough to display a plurality of contents, the content to be displayed in a high visibility position differs from situation to situation as described above. Therefore, on a display device capable of displaying a plurality of contents, it is efficient to variably lay out contents.
A plurality of contents is sometimes displayed on the menu screen of an information terminal with a touch panel. However, changing this layout involves a complex operation. In addition, some information terminals display a plurality of contents when the user touches the desktop screen or the standby screen on which no content is displayed. However, the layout of such a screen is predetermined and, therefore, it is difficult to preferentially display a part of the contents in a high visibility position.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-129689 (JP 2008-129689 A)